I was not going to mention services charges or anything about Stevenage Homes again on this blog. I’ve set up Stevenage Leaseholders Online just to moan about them. But I had to share this.

Stevenage Homes have at last replied to my query. The email arrived on the 9th March 2010. I first enquired 13 November 2009.

After nearly four months of silence, two weeks after launching Stevenage Leaseholders Online I receive an email from Michael Olawepo. It was flagged high priority (you have to laugh).

With no apology for the months it took to respond, Mr Olawepo gets straight to the point. He’s complaining. I had said that “Stevenage Homes have cancelled some recent forums due to lack of interest”. Mr Olawepo:

At the end of the leasehold forum of 12 August 2009, which you attended, it was agreed that the date of the next meeting was to be confirmed, and this was noted in the minutes of the meeting. The earlier proposed meeting for 21 October was not cancelled but postponed/rescheduled for 25 November 2009, which you attended. And it was at this meeting that it was further proposed that the meeting of 9 December 2009 would be cancelled as there was only a fortnight between the dates. It was also noted by leaseholders that a meeting in December would not be well attended due to the holidays. It was then motioned that no further meeting be held until April 2010 as the fourth meeting of the financial year 2009/10.

All leaseholders present including yourself agreed to this arrangement as noted in the minutes of the meeting. I also refer you to the terms of reference of the leasehold forum which states there will be at least four general meetings of the Forum in any year.
Dates of meetings held in 2009/10 are as follows;
(1) 15th April, (2) 17th June, (3) 12th August, (4) 25th November.

In view of the decisions of those present at these meetings the blog is an unfair and incorrect representation of the facts.

So, anyone who didn’t skim the above three paragraphs now has a fair and correct representation of the facts.

To me, a typical leaseholder, which meetings Stevenage Homes cancelled last year, which meetings they moved, what was said at which meeting, these things are trivial. This is why my memory of them is imperfect.

To me, a typical leaseholder, why Stevenage Homes was paying out £3000 to on fire alarm call out for The Towers is important. Because I have to pay part of the bill.

Simples!

At least I got some kind of response to my questions.

I appear to have rattled someone’s cage.

They normally just issue a bill detailing the actual costs. But they are obliged in law to provide a break down if requested.

the man, the place

The last couple of years I have requested a breakdown and successfully challenged some of the costs.

Last year, there were a lot of extra charges to do with fire doors. It took over three months to resolve. I don’t think they ever found the receipts for the work carried out.

This year there was a new process in place. Things are supposed to have improved. It’s started out badly.

I asked for the breakdown on 29th September and I was told that they had been “inundated with queries regarding the actuals.” I eventually received the breakdown on October 23rd.

The latest “repair” bill includes over £3000 for responses to fire alarms. This is a considerable increase on last year.

As far as I am aware there were no fires in the block, so all these alarms were either false alarms or the results of faults in the system.

I raised the following questions:

• Why there is such large increase over last years costs.
• Why there are sometimes multiple invoices for the same incident.
• Why one incident cost £1043.93, when the usual cost is between £80 – £280

I have received a reply, saying my enquiry has been passed on to the manager, Michael Olawepo.

He’s the guy who wants to increase our management fee by 700%.